


Waste

by ReadWriteLiveDream



Series: Running Wild ~ A V3 University AU [3]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Akamatsu Kaede/Harukawa Maki - Freeform, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Background Relationships, Depression, Developing Relationship, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Iruma Miu/K1-B0 - Freeform, Kaito doesn't want to worry him, Kaito struggles with whether to come clean or keep lying, Lies, M/M, References to Depression, References to Illness, Secrets, Shuichi and Kaito have some sort of relationship but won't establish it, Shuichi has depression and anxiety, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unhealthy Relationships, lying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-03-12 10:31:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13545504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReadWriteLiveDream/pseuds/ReadWriteLiveDream
Summary: DISCONTINUED FICKaito Momota was brighter than any star in the galaxy. But like all stars, he eventually went supernova. Of course, he would never admit to burning out, as it would do nothing but hurt the one he loves. He never thought that keeping it a secret could hurt them even more.





	1. When You Were Young

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know. Reading the tags and the summary make this fit seem really dark. I'm not going to lie, it will get dark. But not only did I feel that I owed it to Kaito to write this story, I felt that I owed it to myself and to the one I once loved. Relationships aren't easy. When you supernova, you're going to hurt people no matter what. Whether you both can deal with the hurt and rebuild yourself together is where the problem arises.
> 
> •••
> 
> When You Were Young by The Killers
> 
> "You sit there in your heartache, waiting on some beautiful boy to-to save you from your old ways..."

 

Shuichi Saihara tapped away on his research paper for his Forensics class, the dim light of his computer screen being the only thing keeping him awake. It was barely nine, but he felt exhausted. Kaede, his roommate and closest friend, was at the movies with a few of their mutual friends. Shuichi opted to stay in to finish his report, along with the fact that he couldn’t sum up the energy to go out with friends that night. He’d rather stay home than do a lot of things, though.   
  
His report was on the infamous Otaku Murderer and how his charges could have been different if they happened today, him possibly being evaluated for Dissociative Identity Disorder based off his claims of an alternate personality he had known as “Rat Man.” The entire paper interested him, though it was very saddening. Then again, every murder case was saddening.  
  
For the project, Shuichi had spent hours doing research on how mental illnesses were treated in court and on Dissociative Identity Disorder, he even got an interview with a student who had DID and learned about how her "alter" had tendencies that disrupted her life. The entire case was interesting to him and he was glad to be writing about it, but he wished he had been allowed to write about unsolved cases, as he would have chosen the infamous case of Genocider Syo. Sadly, the report relied upon court cases and all evidence for that case was purely circumstantial.  
  
Focusing back on the report, Shuichi typed out more information. Just as he finished up the fifth page of the report, he heard a specific knock at the door. This knock was one normal knock on the door, a quick knock, and another normal knock on the door. It was Morse code, a slight inside joke that Shuichi appreciated. Quickly saving his file, he made his way to the front door of the apartment, opening it to none other than Kaito Momota.  
  
“Working hard?” He grinned at Shuichi, stepping into the apartment and placing his arm around Shuichi’s shoulders, squeezing him into a side hug rather than a real one. Kaito was weird like that.  
  
Shuichi smiled up at him, proud of himself. “Yeah. I just finished the fifth page.”  
  
“That’s great!” He kissed Shuichi’s forehead and went into the kitchen without another word, straight to the fridge for something to drink. Kaito saved money on groceries by just eating and drinking whatever he could find in Shuichi and Kaede’s fridge. Though Shuichi didn’t really mind. He’d gladly give Kaito all his food just for the chance to hang out with him. Everything with Kaito always felt right.  
  
Shuichi moved to sit on one of the stools at the counter while Kaito leaned over it on the kitchen side, opening his can of Bepsi. “So, how was your day?”  
  
“Pretty good.” Kaito smiled at him. “Even better now that I’m with you.”  
  
Shuichi blushed in response, immediately trying to change the subject. “So, you had no interest in the movie Kork and some of the girls went to?”  
  
“Since when have I been the type of guy to want to see a romantic comedy?” Kaito sipped at his drink.  
  
“Since we watched Midnight Sun and you cried?” Shuichi chuckled.  
  
“That wasn’t a romantic comedy! That was a romantic tearjerker!” Kaito whined.  
  
“Alright, you’re not wrong.” Shuichi smiled at him. “It was sweet seeing you get emotional over something like that, though.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah.” He shrugged off the compliment.  


“Did you get the results back to your physical yet?” Shuichi rested his elbow on the counter and balanced his chin with his hand.  
  
“Nope.” Kaito made a sour face.  
  
“I’m sure you’ll hear back soon.” Shuichi grabbed his hand. “You’re almost to space, don’t worry.”  
  
“Man, I’m quite lucky to have you.” Kaito smiled wide, flirting once again. He leaned over the counter and kissed Shuichi. Their relationship usually went like this. Sometimes they would go on dates, a lot of times they would kiss, but most of the time they’d be comforting each other. Though Shuichi usually needed the most comforting.  
  
The relationship was nice, it was everything that Shuichi had wanted, but Kaito hadn’t made it clear what type of relationship they had. Was it okay for Shuichi to tell his uncle that he had a boyfriend? Was it even okay to call Kaito his boyfriend? How many dates do you have to be on before you can call them your significant other? The thoughts just kept getting worse. Was Shuichi even good enough to be Kaito’s boyfriend?  
  
This happened practically every time Kaito kissed him, Shuichi’s brain would go into a hyperdrive of panic, his mind constantly asking questions he was too afraid to bring up. He hated not knowing the answer to a question. A kiss meant a relationship to Shuichi, but if it did to Kaito then why hadn’t he said anything yet?  
  
Before he could break away and form a sentence, the door to Shuichi’s apartment unlocked, a familiar voice chuckling. “Quite the research project there, Sushi Boy.”  
  
The kiss between them was immediately broken and with embarrassed faces, the two turned to see Kaede and Maki in the doorway.  
  
“I-it’s almost done,” he quickly explained, ears burning red. “Kaito only just got here!”  
  
“Mhm,” Kaede chuckled, teasing the two. Kaede had been Shuichi’s roommate for almost a year, the two of them had been friends since he originally started university. They met in a creative writing class and quickly hit it off, Kaede almost immediately adopting Shuichi into her life. For a while, Shuichi had developed a crush on her, but when she kindly rejected his feelings, their bond became closer to one similar to siblings.  
  
Kaito navigated around the counter and sat next to Shuichi, facing the girls. “How was the movie?”  
  
“Terrible.” Maki tossed herself onto the couch.  
  
“Really?” Kaito furrowed his brow. “I heard it was really good.”  
  
“She’s upset because the protagonist had more chemistry with their best friend rather than the love interest,” Kaede explained. “They ended up with the love interest despite obviously having some type of relationship with the best friend that was completely ignored.”  
  
Kaito nodded in acknowledgment. “Movies suck sometimes.”  
  
Maki continued to lay on the couch and complain, her hair becoming a mess of static. Maki normally wasn’t too open about her feelings unless she was angry. She’d grown up in a life that taught her against being vulnerable.  
  
Instead of frustrating Maki more, Shuichi decided to change the subject.  
  
“Did you guys already get food?” He stood up from his seat. “I was thinking of making something.”  
  
“We ate already, but you should make food for yourself.” Kaede sat next to Maki on the couch, rubbing her back.  
  
“Kaito?” He turned to his maybe-boyfriend, who stared at him with kind eyes.  
  
“I could eat.” Kaito stood up, stretching. When his arms went over his head, his shirt began to ride up, a small patch of skin became visible and Shuichi struggled with not staring.  
  
To avoid Kaito seeing him flustered, Shuichi turned to face the cupboards, pulled out two packages of instant ramen, and set a pot of water on the stove to boil.  
  
“We’re just eating ramen?”  
  
“It’s instant! You know I’m a bad cook!”  
  
Kaito laughed loudly. Shuichi could listen to his laugh for hours on end. Kaito’s laughs weren’t forced, they came easily to him. He was the type of person that always found a way to break any awkward tension with humor. He watched Kaito put a pan on one of the stove-tops that weren’t in use. He then turned to the fridge and took out a carton of eggs and a stick of butter.  
  
“What are you doing?” He squinted as Kaito buttered the pan.  
  
“Fried eggs.” The astronaut grinned at him, now moving on to cooking the eggs. “You need some protein, _babe_.”  
  
Shuichi spilled some of the water from the pot onto himself, face bright red. “Shit.” He could hear Kaede chuckling from the couch. “It’s not funny,” he hissed as he grabbed a hand towel.  
  
She put a hand over her mouth to try and stifle her laughter to no avail. Even Maki began laughing at Shuichi.  
  
He turned to Kaito, who was chuckling to himself. Shuichi playfully hit him with the towel he had been drying himself with. “Guys, stop laughing at me!”  
  
“I’m sorry,” Kaito said, still laughing. Shuichi frowned until Kaito leaned down and placed a kiss on his cheek. “I just find it cute.”  
  
“You’re so embarrassing!” Shuichi’s face looked like a tomato.  
  
The two finished making the food together and served the ramen into two bowls, putting a fried egg on top of each.  
  
“I didn’t know that you could cook, Kaito.” Shuichi stared down at his fried egg with slight suspicion. Had he secretly been a marvelous cook but hid it with his constant craving for fast food?  
  
“Don’t get too excited,” Maki called from the couch, finally in an upright position. Instead of facing them, both she and Kaede were glued to the television, searching for a movie to watch. “He can only make breakfast food.”  
  
“Is that true?” Kaede broke her concentration and turned to look at Kaito, chuckling lightly.  
  
“Hey! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!” Kaito pouted at the two girls.  
  
Shuichi chuckled at him. “I’m honestly not surprised.”  
  
“Don’t make fun of me, _babe_.” Shuichi turned bright red and stopped laughing, while the girls on the couch burst into a loud fit of giggles.  
  
It was nice to have such close-knit friends, Shuichi thought. Two years ago, Shuichi never could have imagined himself like this. Laughing with his friends, being flirted with by a guy he could possibly consider his boyfriend.  Two years ago, Shuichi was a closeted bi kid with no friends and no confidence. Now, Shuichi had many friends that all try to support him in any way that they can. He had Maki and Kaede, who always tried to make him comfortable. He had Kaito, who started each day with a new way to make Shuichi smile.  Kaito made his heart scream more than anyone else ever had. If only the two of them would clarify their feelings. But Kaito was oblivious and Shuichi was too anxious.  
  
“You okay, Shuichi?” Kaito shook his shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts.   
  
“Uh, yeah. I’m fine.” He smiled down at his empty bowl. They’d never made dinner together before. Even though Shuichi had only made instant ramen, he felt as if the two had taken another step forward in their relationship.  
  
Kaito stood up from his seat, picked up their bowls, and began washing them in the sink.  
  
“I’d never known you were such the domestic type, Kaito.” Shuichi followed him to the kitchen.  
  
“I had to be,” he explained. “Being raised by your grandparents is more of a symbiotic relationship.”  
  
“I see.” Shuichi handed him a washcloth to dry the dishes.  
  
“Anyways,” Kaito switched subjects. “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me yet, _babe_.” He winked, which ended up leaving Shuichi a stuttering mess.  
  
The four of them eventually turned on a TV movie and sat together on the couch. The girls seemed interested in it, but it was obvious to Shuichi that Kaito couldn’t care less. Shuichi didn’t mind it.   
  
Halfway through the movie, Maki left for her own apartment, saying she had already seen the movie and had to work in the morning. On Fridays, she worked as a daycare assistant. While Maki always made it clear that she didn’t like children, they adored her. She was good with them, too, based on Shuichi’s observations when he visited her one day when she had left some of her things at his and Kaede’s apartment the day before.  
  
When Shuichi had walked in on her class, Maki was reading a book to all the kids, their pleading eyes all focused on her. She was right in her element.  
  
During the last ten minutes of the movie, Kaede fell asleep, her light snoring filling the room. Shuichi didn’t have the heart to wake her up and, judging by his reaction, Kaito didn’t either.  
  
“I should get going,” Kaito whispered, standing up as the credits rolled. “It’s late.”  
  
“Can’t you stay here?” Shuichi blinked up at him, face illuminated only by the movie credits. It was definitely passed one in the morning.  
  
“That’s a bit promiscuous, Shuichi,” Kaito joked.  
  
Shuichi pushed him lightly. “C’mon, it’s not really safe to walk alone at night.”  
  
“Only because you care so much about me, _bro_.” Kaito gave him a thumbs-up.  
  
Bro. They were back to using the term “bro.’” With just that, Shuichi’s stomach dropped. They were really just friends, weren’t they? Would you call your boyfriend (or at least the guy you wanted to be your boyfriend) your _bro_?  
  
After turning off the television, Kaito grabbed his hand and dragged him back to Shuichi’s room. While his room was mostly clean, Shuichi’s desk was covered in skewed papers and a small pile of dirty clothes was forming in the corner. “Sorry about the mess...”  
  
Kaito laughed. “This is nothing compared to my apartment. I should probably ask for Kirumi’s help later.” Without another word, Kaito began peeling off his clothes until he stood in just his red-starred boxer briefs. Shuichi expected his underwear to look like the universe exploded on it, but instead, they just had simple star designs. It was kinda cute.  
  
Shuichi unbuttoned his shirt very slowly, mind blazing with unsuredness. He’d already taken off the jacket earlier, but the act of undressing took a lot longer for him with Kaito across from him. It wasn’t abnormal to undress in front of another guy, though that was really just if you’re straight and haven’t kissed said guy. And if you’re not sharing a bed for the first time but still don’t know where the relationship is going. He took deep breaths as he finished unbuttoning his shirt. It was just a small leap. He could do this.  
  
Kaito got into the futon and settled fairly quickly, while Shuichi’s movements continued to linger. He was hyper-aware of Kaito’s gaze. Something in their apparent friendship had to have crossed normal male friendship lines. He shook the idea out of his head and pulled off his pants and undershirt with much more haste.  
  
Shuichi crawled into the futon. He didn’t realize how small the bed actually was until that moment, as his body pressed up to Kaito’s, who wrapped his arms around Shuichi’s body. He felt nothing but comfort in the embrace.  
  
“This is nice...” Shuichi delicately placed his hands on Kaito’s shoulders. He could get used to this.  
  
“Yeah.” Before Shuichi could make another awkward statement, Kaito caught him off guard by leaning forward and kissing him.  
  
Shuichi immediately found himself melting into the kiss, Kaito’s calloused hands pulling him closer. Kaito’s thumb brushed lightly against the bare skin of his back. Shuichi shivered in response but didn’t shy away. Maybe Shuichi was just an idiot and had trouble realizing Kaito’s true feelings. Maybe this was some “Friends with Benefits” thing. Or maybe it just wasn’t important at the time. Maybe being close to Kaito was enough. The boundaries of their relationship didn’t have to be important if Shuichi could just stay like this with Kaito forever.  
  
“You okay?” Kaito broke off the kiss and stared down at him, eyes scanning Shuichi to see if he did anything wrong. He always worried about the tiny things, it was quite endearing. Rather than answering, Shuichi laid his head on Kaito’s chest and held him close. _Definitely_ , he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day AND International Fanworks Day! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this fic! This fit means a whole lot to me and I'm glad that I'm able to use my platform to tell this story for my favorite characters. I'd like to give thanks to my favorite Kaito, @cyborg.s on Instagram, for helping me out by betaing this chapter! These boys deserve so much love. Be sure to check out my Tumblr: http://asmolbabu.tumblr.com


	2. Young Folks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito is starting to feel comfortable in the relationship that he and Shuichi have formed, but he's already starting to become trapped as he'll do anything to make sure that his loved ones won't worry about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m too much of a perfectionist and took two months for two thousand words and a month and a half to finish writing ANYTHING Saimota. Oops. I don’t really have an excuse, but this fic is back on my priority and I plan to prioritize writing in general this May. Special thanks to Kai for betaing this trash.
> 
> •••
> 
> Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John
> 
> “I can tell there’s something going on, hours seem to disappear…”
> 
> Keeping secrets to yourself because of fear of scaring off the one you love.

  
─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

 

Kaito bit his lip as he stared across the room at the yawning boy, his eyelashes blinking away the sleep that began to overcome him. Before Kaito thought about what he was saying, the question had already formed. “Do you want to stay over?”

  
  
Shuichi looked up from his laptop to meet Kaito’s eyes, his face flushing pink. The boy had come over to work on an essay in the calming quiet of Kaito’s apartment, claiming that Kaede was currently trying to finish a composition for one of her music writing classes, which seemed to typical for the end of the school year. All the students had begun to stress over finals, many of them flocking to Kaito for help in math and sciences classes or simply because Kaito lived in a quieter area. Though, whenever Shuichi was over, Kaito found himself wishing to study the measurements of the boy’s eyelashes and the way his hair messed up when he was tired over the work on aerodynamics he was supposed to be doing. “Th-That’s a bit forward of you,” he stuttered out.

  
  
“Wha—?” Kaito turned red as well, realizing the implications of the vague comment he had made. “N-Not like that!”

  
“Oh.” Shuichi frowned.

  
“I mean, not that that’s off the table, but I’m still trying to figure out what my sexuality is and I haven’t spoken about it with my grandparents yet and I don’t know if I’m comfortable with taking a big step without them knowing about this part of me and though we’ve known each other for almost a year, we’ve only been doing this kind of thing for two months and—“

 

“Kaito,” Shuichi interrupted him, a soft look on his face that allows Kaito to relax a little. “It’s fine, just tell me what you meant.”

 

“Well, it’s gotten kind of late at night and it’d be kind of rude of me to kick you out.” He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. It was obvious he’d never invited anyone to spend the night before. “I’ve stayed over at your place countless times, so I figured you wouldn’t mind.”

 

“I don’t mind at all.” Shuichi smiled lightly, tugging at Kaito’s heart strings. He shut his laptop and stood up off the couch, already prepared for bed.

  
  
“I gotta warn you... My room is embarrassing.” Kaito smiled sheepishly.

  
  
“I’m sure it’s fine, Kaito.” He pushed past him to the bedroom door. Of all the times Kaito had had him over, he’d never let Shuichi go into his room. He knew where it was, but he never asked to stay over nor to see what was inside, respecting Kaito’s boundaries. Shuichi always let Kaito into his own room, but Kaito felt too embarrassed to show Shuichi before. But with the plunge into a romantic spark between them, Kaito increasingly felt that he should return some of the actions Shuichi did, starting with his room.

 

As the two stepped into the room, Kaito heard Shuichi let out a gasp. His room was filled to the brim with glow in the dark stars on the walls and planets hanging from the ceiling, an entire universe in front of them.

 

“I told you it was embarrassing,” Kaito blushed.

 

“I think it’s amazing.” Shuichi grabbed Kaito’s arm and tugged him close. “It’s so perfectly _you_ , Kaito.”

 

Kaito leaned down and kissed him, holding him carefully with his hand on the back of Shuichi’s head.

 

Shuichi breathed out in between deepening kisses. “You’re so perfect...”

 

Kaito pulled away and stared at him, shaking his head. “I think you’re the one that’s perfect.”

 

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

 

“So, she’s a prostitute?”

 

“Well, yes.” Kaito pulled the bag of popcorn from the microwave and poured it into a bowl. “They use the term Champion. Sex workers are actually very much respected in their society.”

 

Shuichi nodded, eyes fixed on the television. “They were respected in some sense in the State’s ‘Old West,’ too. It’s partly based off the Old West, right?”

 

“Yeah. In this society, the Champions get to choose their clients, too.” Kaito sat on the couch. “It’s a great honor if you’re chosen by a Champion.”

 

“And the two of them are in love with each other but won’t say anything?” Shuichi took a handful of popcorn, still not looking away from the TV.

 

“Seems it, doesn’t it?”

 

After months of convincing, Kaito had finally gotten Shuichi to watch one of his favorite shows as the two hung out together. With only some complaining, Shuichi eventually did get invested in the storyline. Each question he asked filled Kaito’s heart with joy. Nobody ever really tried to watch his shows with him before Shuichi. If the act didn’t make him feel so embarrassed, Kaito would have cried.

 

He placed the popcorn bowl on the coffee table, wrapping his now free hands around Shuichi. He let him stay relaxed instead of bothering him and decided to quietly play with Shuichi’s thick mess of hair.

 

Just as Shuichi opened his mouth to say something, Kaito’s cell phone rang.

 

“Shit, hold that thought.” Kaito scrambled off the couch and grabbed his phone from where he left it on the kitchen counter. “Hello?”

 

Shuichi turned back to the TV, probably in an attempt not to eavesdrop. The action was somewhat sweet of him.

 

“This is Mr. Nakamura from the University of Tokyo Hospital. I’m calling to speak with Mr. Kaito Momota.”

 

Kaito furrowed his eyebrows. They’d taken so long to get back to him. “This is Kaito.”

 

“Mr. Momota, we regret to inform you that at this time you have failed your physical.” Kaito’s breath hitched. The secretary explained to him the situation that Kaito had put himself in after deciding to not rely on his medication. They wanted to bring him back in as soon as possible for him.

 

“My schedule is free for tomorrow.” Kaito grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, still listening intently.

 

He heard a shuffle of papers from the other line. “Let’s set an appointment for tomorrow morning at eleven.”

 

“Eleven, it is.” Kaito finished off the call and set his phone back on the counter with a long, drawn out sigh. His throat burned. It took all his restraint not to choke out a sob. Kaito had fucked up.

 

“Who was that?” Shuichi paused the TV, turning to him.

 

“Nothing to worry about, just one of my professors wanting to meet up with me,” Kaito lied. “I’ll be fine.” Almost immediately a know of guilt formed in his stomach for lying to him, but Kaito couldn’t let Shuichi worry about him.

 

“Are you sure?” Shuichi bit his lip. It was bad habit of his, Kaito had noticed when they first met. Sometimes he would bite off the soft skin, leaving them bloodied. Lying to him was going to hurt more than he expected.

 

“Positive.” Kaito walked over to him and kissed his forehead, smoothing out Shuichi’s hair. “Let’s just watch the show, babe.”

 

Shuichi nodded and pressed play on the remote, snuggling up to Kaito. He would tell him later. He wasn’t going to let him worry over nothing. The stress of medical things should only have to fall on Kaito, not anybody else.

 

Kaito held the boy, breathing in his faint scent. Shuichi used a shampoo made from mint leaves, saying that it made showers feel more soothing. He scent definitely helped calm Kaito as he just wanted to hold the detective and forget about any of his worries.

 

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

 

“We should go out tonight,” Kaito had said to Shuichi once he picked him up from class that afternoon.

 

“Getting sick of just ramen and fried eggs?” Shuichi laughed as Kaito grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together.

 

“No, I just think we should go on actual dates more.” The two began to walk down the sidewalk. “Y’know, rather than cuddling and watching Firefly.”

 

“You’re not wrong,” Shuichi squeezed his hand, leading Kaito to look down and notice his black fingernails.

 

“Did you do those?” Kaito stared at the nail polish.

 

Shuichi shook his head with a light laugh, messing up his hair a little. “Nope, Rantaro came over last night to do Kaede’s and gossip. He offered to do mine as well.”

 

“They suit you.” Kaito stopped walking, turning to the boy and lifting his hand to his lips. He places a careful kiss on it, chuckling as he watched Shuichi’s face turn red.

 

“Th-thank you,” he stumbled out and pulled his hand away, pushing Kaito down the sidewalk.

 

“Y’know, I haven’t seen Rantaro since the day we went to the movies.” Kaito changed the subject as he pressed the button on the crosswalk.

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah. Vacation happened and this whole month has been ruthless studying.” The walk light turned on and the two crossed. “I haven’t really seen many of our other friends except for Kaede and Maki.”

 

Shuichi frowned. “Why is that?”

 

“Well, I love devoting all my time to you.” In the corner of his eye, Kaito saw the boy blushing.

 

“Maybe we should invite some of them out sometime?”

 

Kaito thought for a moment. “Like tonight?”

 

“You wouldn’t mind?” Shuichi eyed him as they finished crossing

 

“As long as I’m by your side and get a cheeseburger in my hand then I’m perfectly fine,” he laughed. “We can do a real date night another time."

 

"White Day isn't too far away, right?" Shuichi mumbled, offering up the suggestion.

 

"I'll take you out on a proper date on White Day, then.” Kaito agreed. “Fancy suits and everything."

 

"That sounds great."

 

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

 

Kaito looked up from his laptop, procrastinating finishing his essay. Across from him sat Shuichi, the back of a pen pressed to his bottom lip, using his mouth to click the pen on and off.

 

Shuichi had called it a “study date” when he asked to come over, but it wasn’t long before Kaito realized their meeting was less of a date and more of an excuse to ask Kaito for help with studying for his Math final.

 

“You okay, babe?” He stood up and moved to Shuichi’s side.

 

“I’m gonna fail this final.” The pen dropped down to the table, next to the boy’s textbook.

 

“No, you’re not. Let me help you.” Kaito leaned down, looking over the book.

 

“I always have so much trouble understanding this stuff,” Shuichi frowned, rubbing his eyes. “It makes me feel like I’m stupid.”

 

“You’re not stupid,” Kaito crouched down so that their eyes were level.

 

“It just feels like it,” He huffed. “I’m average at all my other classes, it just pushes in more of that inner self doubt.”

 

Instead of pressing the subject more, Kaito sat on the ground, his voice becoming quieter. “Shuichi, do you think I’m an idiot?”

 

“What?” Shuichi looked almost hurt by the suggestion. “Of course not, Kaito!”

 

He inched away, head bowing down. “Then why would the others call me one all the time?”

 

“Just because Maki and Kokichi sometimes joke about you not being smart doesn’t mean it’s true.” Shuichi reached down and took both of Kaito’s hands, his thin, pale fingers wrapping around Kaito’s calloused own. “You’re one of the smartest people I know, you’re exemplary in math and science, you’re fluent in English and Russian, and you have a complete understanding of the cultures, too.”

  
  
“Yeah, but my bad temper gets us in more trouble than it should…” His gloominess hung in the room. “I make stupid mistakes all the time.”

 

“That doesn’t mean that you’re stupid, Kaito.” Shuichi got out of his chair to sit with Kaito on the ground. “Just because you have trouble with some things doesn’t mean you can’t be intelligent in other areas. You _are_ smart, Kaito.”

 

“If you’re so sure that having trouble with some areas doesn’t mean you can’t be intelligent in other areas, then why are you so hard on yourself about Math?” Kaito stayed staring at the detective.

 

“I guess you’re right.” Shuichi realized. “I’m not dumb just because I have trouble with math.”

  
Kaito smiled. “We’re both not dumb, it’s just we really suck in areas the other is okay in.”

 

“That’s what makes us the perfect team.” Shuichi caught Kaito off guard with a kiss to punctuate his sentence.

 

“Exactly,” Kaito laughed into the kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter, I'm sorry it was so short! If y'all wanna know something funny, I spent a ton of time writing that math studying scene and the entire time I was like "damn I feel like this is too ooc for kaito something about it doesn't seem that canon" and then I went and watched some of Shuichi's Talent Development Plan look what we have there, ALMOST THE SAME LAYOUT OF CONVERSATION BUT ABOUT ULTIMATES. Anyways, I'm already like halfway through Chapter 3 cause I suck at being consistent in updating. Keep an eye out for other works, too! Feel free to message me on Tumblr (asmolbabu) if you have any other questions or comments!


	3. Announcement - DISCONTINUED

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THIS SERIES, INCLUDING THIS FIC, HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED.

I've already posted this within the series, but I thought I'd add it to this work as well.

I know this may be upsetting news, but I’m discontinuing the Running Wild series. As much as I enjoy writing for it, I always feel as if I’m contradicting myself as I write. I’d like to tell this story, but I feel that I’m not going in the direction I should be and that I need to approach it from a different angle. I’m going to keep the fics up, but please know that the series will remain unfinished. I plan to be writing Saimota regardless to the end of this series and I just plan to take a step back and restart where I’m going with this, which means it’s much easier to start a new series than go back and delete the existence of this one, rewriting everything in it. I’m currently working on how I’m going to restart this story, so please don’t worry. I love y’all and will hopefully be posting more soon! ~Lu


	4. Another Update!

Hey guys! Here's a quick update on what to expect for works soon!

So, I'll admit it, I haven't really been writing. I've completely plotted out several fics, but I've been struggling to actually write them down. I'm trying to train myself for NaNoWriMo this month, though, which means I'm going to be writing more and more! I've already gotten 250 into the first chapter of the multi-chap I've got planned out, so hopefully I can get off my ass and write more! Thankfully, my lovely girlfriend has been supporting me as well as my good friend Isaac (aka my Saimota supplier let's be honest here my dudes)!

A lot of the reason for Waste was me trying to make sense of how relationships become sour, but that whole idea kind of is gone, so that's part of the reason why the fic really stopped. I went from someone who had just broken up a long-term relationship that was turning sour fast to someone who has refound what love really is with someone else, and I'd rather explore a relationship budding and then growing than exploring a situation with one falling apart at the seams. It's also much healthier for me to go this route, though there will be some angst tied into it because there are some aspects I still would love to explore. Thank you for being so supportive during this time of trial and error and I can't wait for you guys to read what I have planned next!

I don't have any plans for the rewritten version of this fic because of this, but I thought I'd link you guys to the music I originally used for inspiration for the fic.

Here's the [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/asmolbabu/playlist/2GomQXwS8B9TV3nL8ebaki?si=fCgf5mmaRDy6Vi-a_JNHwg) !


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